I Saw It Through Her Eyes

She looked to be about eight years old. Her clothes were a little bit tattered and her pink jacket, faded from use, seemed a few sizes too large for her. Her sister was beside her. I guessed that she was a year or two older and I wondered if the jacket had been hers as well.

I had helped this family find their seats and it was easy to see that this was their first time here. The mom, like many other mothers, was gently telling both girls to be very quiet. All of them seemed to just quietly fade into their seats, as if not to be noticed.

I stood where I always do at the beginning of a performance, leaning against my favourite post. Like an old friend, that post and I have, over ten years, shared many a performance together.

I often stand there at the beginning of a performance and look over our audience. I have learned to tell very quickly how a concert will go. You can tell a lot by the expressions on people's faces. A face can tell an entire story but tonight that face and the story it told will stick with me for longer than any other.

She had been sitting on her mothers lap when the first ballerina took centre stage. The lights were dimmed. The audience hushed. Then the music began softly and the spotlight focused on the young dancer on centre stage. The light sparked off her dress and she began to dance.

There wasn't a sound in that room.

Except for one.

The voice of a little eight year old girl who in a moment of childlike honestly, shouted out "Mommy a princess! I have never seen a princess!"

I have seen a lot of great performances. I have heard a lot of performers. I have been moved by many things.

But I have never felt like I did when I heard the voice of that little girl standing there in her, much too big, faded pink jacket. Every head turned to that little girl and everyone was smiling. Even the ballerina looked at her and smiled.

Now let me give you a story behind the story.

That little girl was there because she and her family received tickets due to two fabulous sponsors. Portage Revitalization and our local Royal Bank sponsored over sixty tickets that were given to families in our community. Their support is greatly appreciated.

Tickets went to Child and Family Services, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Young Family Resource Centre and Youth For Christ. These community organizations then offered tickets to individuals and families who, because of economic hardships, may not have an opportunity to experience a performance like the Royal Winnipeg Ballet Concert Hour Tour.

That little girl, probably for the first time in her life, got to see a princess!

I hope that in her lifetime she will see many more.

I have to make a hard decision after this concert. We have been trying to build our audience for this yearly concert for the last four years. While it has experienced respectable growth, we still have not received the audience support needed to offset the cost of this type of a production. I realize that this is a very busy time of year for most families. Maybe our community hasn't given themselves an opportunity to experience something as wonderful as the ballet. They may not realize how wonderful a performance it really is. Maybe we just haven't advertised it properly to let our audience know. Maybe there isn't a will for this style of performance.

What I do know is that the performance is an incredible one. I invite you to join us for this performance on Sunday November 27 at 7pm.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $8 for students and children. You can order online at www.glesbycentre.com or call our box office at 239-4848.